The instant invention is in the field of supporting structures for sporting goods and other items that might typically be lying on the ground or leaning against a wall inside or outside an apartment, house or garage. Typically, these are relatively large objects compared to small items such as hand tools.
It has traditionally been tricky to provide storage places for relatively large sporting goods items which are used out-of-doors but should be stored inside a garage, house or apartment or other safe place to prevent theft. These items, such as surfboards, windsurfers, bicycles, kayaks and skis are small enough to subject them to theft because they can be carried away, unlike a power boat or trailer which need only be chained down. Therefore, they should ideally be kept within the confines of a building, but out of the way of ordinary activities which take place in the building, such as the shop functions which are often incorporated into a garage.
Of this group, surfboards and windsurfers are generally the lightest and the most portable. When not in use, these are often kept in the apartment, house, garage or some other protected space to prevent theft and structural breakdown from prolonged exposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Bicycles also generally must be kept inside for purposes of minimizing corrosion, and are often left leaning against a wall or sometimes hung by the front wheel on a hook screwed into a roof joist in the garage. This tends to distort the front wheel and requires that the user elevate the bicycle largely overhead in order to hook the wheel, also causing the roof joist to bear a heavier load.
Additionally, a bicycle hook will by and large work only for bicycles, and other racks and shelves provided for particular pieces of equipment often are adapted particularly for that equipment.
There is a need, therefore, for a generally universal or semi-universal rack structure which can be used in one form or another to store and support a variety of different pieces of sporting goods equipment.